During the preparations for the campaign against Cassius, Commodus assumed his toga virilis on the Danubian front on 7 July 175, thus formally entering adulthood. The gladiator who defied an emperor. The activities which held Commodus attention and with which he spent his time were primarily surrounding gladiatorial combat. He would take to the arena and engage in combat, which the Romans viewed as being scandalous and disgraceful. Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus. Commodus : The general who became a slave. Dio Cassius 73.1.2, Loeb edition translated E. Cary, Dio Cassius 73.5.3, Loeb edition translated E. Cary. The Libyan-born Septimius Severus has gone down in history as the first African Emperor of Rome . Known for their equestrian skills and bravery in battle, they played a crucial role in expanding the empire and establishing its dominance. His family is murdered, and he becomes a slave, and then sold off to become a gladiator. "Back!" he cried. Innumerable statues around the empire were set up portraying him in the guise of Hercules, reinforcing the image of him as a demigod, a physical giant, a protector, and a warrior who fought against men and beasts (see "Commodus and Hercules" and "Commodus the Gladiator" below). "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!" "Back!" yelled the Praetorian guard. His brutal misrule precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of stability and prosperity within the empire. The pivotal 2000 historical drama follows the betrayed general, Maximus, on a quest for revenge against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the usurper emperor of Rome, who murdered his wife and son. Thrown into the spotlight as Rome . Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army,", This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 22:16. On this channel we focus on Roman History and right now we're doing a video on every Roman Emperor, if you're interested in that subscribe or watch the playlist here: https://bit.ly/32CUA2g. After a failed assassination attempt in 182, however, his rule became erratic and brutal, and he imagined himself to be Hercules. Early in 188, Cleander disposed of the current praetorian prefect, Atilius Aebutianus, and took over supreme command of the Praetorian Guard at the new rank of a pugione ("dagger-bearer"), with two praetorian prefects subordinate to him. Bestowing the imperial title of Caesar upon Commodus at such a young age further shows Aurelius desperation for Commodus to be viewed and treated as royalty. A work of history that reads like fiction, The Gladiator brings to life Spartacus, Commodus, Caligula, and all of the other memorable players of the nearly thousand-year-long gladiatorial era. Commodus, The Unhinged Roman Emperor Who Went Mad With Power, Commodus exposes Lucillas plot in this scene from. Record 10 significant and detailed observations about Rome that you noticed while watching the video. During 191, the city of Rome was extensively damaged by a fire that raged for several days, during which many public buildings including the Temple of Pax, the Temple of Vesta, and parts of the imperial palace were destroyed. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. The film is based on real historical events, but . Ulpius Marcellus was replaced as governor of Britain by Pertinax; brought to Rome and tried for treason, Marcellus narrowly escaped death. . Unrest around the empire increased, with large numbers of army deserters causing trouble in Gaul and Germany. Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree. View GLADIATOR - CHW3M.docx from HIS CHW3M at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. Intro: 0:00. Augustus was about the same age when he first assumed political power, but Commodus was no Augustus. Gladiator's Commodus death, therefore, is a pertinent conclusion to Maximus storyline in Gladiator, but it consequentially abstracts the film's historical basis. He was left-handed and very proud of the fact. Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber. Narcissus (born 2nd century A.D.) was a Roman athlete,[1][2] likely a wrestler,[3] from the 2nd century AD. Aside from the manner of his death in Gladiator, Commodus' onscreen depiction has a few other historical reworkings that help add spice to the plot, although some changes serve to tone down the character. Lucius joined Marcus in his campaign against invading German tribes along the Danube, but after the death of Marcus (March 180) he quickly came to terms with the Germans. Disappointment aside, Aurelius continued to promote Commodus through the ranks. The executions of the senators had whet his appetite for blood and he devoted himself to combats of wild beasts and of men. Not merely content to hunt in private, the emperor began to perform in the Colosseum itself, competing as a gladiator to the delight of the crowds and horror of the senate, as depicted in Gladiator. Als besonders skandals empfand man die Beziehung zwischen Eppia, einer Frau aus reicher Familie, die Senatorengattin war, und dem Gladiator Sergiolus. Unlike the preceding emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, he seems to have had little interest in the business of administration and tended throughout his reign to leave the practical running of the state to a succession of favourites, beginning with Saoterus, a freedman from Nicomedia who had become his chamberlain. 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After becoming emperor, Commodus spent his 12-year reign indulging in hobbies like gambling, drinking and chariot-racing, but his two greatest passions seemed to be sex and pretending to be a . Ridley Scott's Gladiator famously kills off Maximus (Russell Crowe) at the end, but the original plan for the ending was very different. Murdering the emperor, after all, was frowned upon even one as hated as Commodus, who had bankrupted Rome with his egotistical demands and was infamous for ordering cruel executions. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Wikimedia CommonsEmperor Commodus lust for power is widely credited with bringing an end to the fabled Pax Romana. He also had the head of the Colossus of Nero adjacent to the Colosseum replaced with his own portrait, gave it a club, placed a bronze lion at its feet to make it look like Hercules Romanus, and added an inscription boasting of being "the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times one thousand men".[23]. But it didnt take long for him to delegate his leadership responsibilities to others so that he could engage in activities in which he enjoyed. He is viewed as having been an inept emperor, his megalomaniac tendencies leading to odd behaviors which frustrated and upset the Roman people. Papirius Dionysius was executed, too. Dying and going to Elysium is a more fitting reward for him than taking control of Rome. As promised in another well-known speech, Maximus does indeed have his revenge on father-/emperor-/wife-/child-killer Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). They bungled the job and were seized by the emperor's bodyguard. But he vomited the poisoned food up, foiling that plan. Commodus was born on August 31, 161 AD in Lanuvium, 14 miles (22.5 km) southeast of Rome. He also believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules and enjoyed fighting in an arena as a gladiator. A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be. He negotiated a peace settlement in Romes favor. Lucilla was exiled to Capri and later killed. Marcus Aurelius died there on 17 March 180, leaving the 18-year-old Commodus as sole emperor.[18]. But shortly after dispatching the megalomaniacal emperor, Maximus succumbs to his own injuries and dies in the blood and sand of the ring although not without making sure his fellow gladiators are freed first. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. These tendencies now increased to megalomaniacal proportions. Commodus hired a wrestler to train him to be even better in the arena. Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163. His outrageous tactics, such as slaying people with disabilities and slaughtering wild beasts in the arena, brought much negative attention, and were believed to have played a role in his eventual assassination. Upon his fathers death in 180, Commodus became the sole emperor. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercalenne,", M.P. Only a famous death will do. Cleander fled to Commodus, who was at Laurentum in the house of the Quinctilii, for protection, but the mob followed him calling for his head. Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. In 177 Lucius was made coruler and heir to his father, the emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161180). The long line of ancient Roman emperors is marked by a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Commodus Takes The Throne In this scene from Gladiator, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) murders his father to seize the throne for himself. . And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Commodus was a secutor, a type of gladiator who carried a gladius and a heavy shield. He was the brother of Princess Lucilla, and uncle of Lucius. While the true story behind his reign and death are fascinating, I prefer the fictional story, where he is killed in the arena before thousands of subjects by a gladiator whose family was ordered killed by the emperor. Commodus accompanied his father during the Marcomannic Wars in 172, and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. Statues of Commodus were demolished. One of the ways he paid for his donatives (imperial handouts) and mass entertainments was to tax the senatorial order, and on many inscriptions, the traditional order of the two nominal powers of the state, the Senate and People (Senatus Populusque Romanus) is provocatively reversed (Populus Senatusque). On December 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by a champion wrestler, following his announcement the day before that he would assume the consulship, dressed as a gladiator. The consensus was that it was below his office to participate as a gladiator. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Empero His death in history marks the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty; in the movie, his death marks the retributive end of Maximus Gladiator story. The scene portrays the extent of Emperor Commodus malice and provides a realization of the vengeance sought by Maximus, following the crucifixion of his wife and child. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! In April 175, Avidius Cassius, Governor of Syria, declared himself emperor following rumours that Marcus Aurelius had died. Classic Villain: Commodus, representing Ambition and Envy. All Action 473K subscribers 86K 11M views 1 year ago #Gladiator #RidleyScott #AllAction Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) challenges Maximus (Russell Crowe) in combat in the hopes of killing him. Nowadays Commodus is best remembered as the villain of Ridley Scott's movie "Gladiator", a sneering and arrogant portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix. As a result, Commodus appeared even more rarely in public, preferring to live on his estates. The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was entitled the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace and the Roman people themselves were all given the name Commodianus, and the day on which these reforms were decreed was to be called Dies Commodianus. In 195, the emperor Septimius Severus, trying to gain favour with the family of Marcus Aurelius, rehabilitated Commodus's memory and had the Senate deify him. Dissatisfaction with this state of affairs would lead to a series of conspiracies and attempted coups, which in turn eventually provoked Commodus to take charge of affairs, which he did in an increasingly dictatorial manner. Pompeianus retired from public life. Although he's very well written, Maximus is more of a plot device to allow the . On 31 December 192 AD, Commodus's concubine[2] and conspirator Marcia poisoned Commodus's wine. Gladiator is a film invested in the concept of retribution. According to Cassius Dio, Commodus once killed 100 lions in a single day. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. He took the throne as regent, but was killed by Maximus in the Colosseum. His mother was Annia Galeria Faustina, a member of the Roman nobility and the daughter of the emperor Antoninus Pius. After this look at Commodus, check out these interesting facts about Ancient Rome. [10] Among his teachers, Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus are mentioned.[10][11]. Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus, Ti. [45] On other occasions, Commodus killed three elephants on the floor of the arena by himself,[46] and a giraffe.[47]. However, in private practice fights, Commodus would slay his opponents. By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. 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